Passing The Torch
by Shade the Hero Project-X
Summary: The future is sunny and bright and fourteen year old Abigail couldn't be happier. She lives a normal life, until a new sub replaces the school coach and her father returns home from a long trip. What exactly is she training for? AU
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Well, I knew that was going to happen. Saving The Lost came to a halt thanks to Writer's Block. Thankfully, I have this story to write for fun just to pass the time. Set in the future in an AU. Enjoy. :)  
**_

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Disney and Square Enix. All Oc's belong to me. **_

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**_Passing The Torch_**

"Abigail! Hurry up or you're gonna be late!"

"Coming!"

Sunlight flooded the room of Fourteen year old Abigail as she shoved her homework into her backpack and gave herself a quick look in the mirror.

"Knew I forgot something," she said as she brushed her messy hair. The back wasn't hard, as she always wore her light brown hair in a braid. However, she gave up with the hair in the front. Thanks to the natural spikes she would often give up and leave it as is. Today was no exception.

Rushing down the stairs she flew through the kitchen.

"Love ya Mom, bye Mom," she called as she headed for the door, grabbing a bagel on her way out.

The red-head washing dishes only shook her head with a smile. "She's definitely her father's daughter."

Abigail didn't like running late to school. It wasn't because she was an egg head, she loved walking along the path that ran parallel to the beach. With tropical plants and bushes on either side of the path it offered a chance to collect her thoughts and enjoy the morning.

"Abigail!"

The brunette turned to see her friend hurrying to catch up. "Good morning, Storm," she said as he came to a halt and leaned against his knees to catch his breath.

"Guess I wasn't the only one who was running late," she giggled.

"I have my reasons," was all the boy said as he stood up. "You hear about Coach Wakka?"

His question caught Abigail off-guard. "What do you mean?"

"I hear he caught some nasty superbug, he'll be out for a while, and you know what that means,"

Abigail sighed. "Substitute teacher." And she had just gotten that memory out of her head. "Just please don't tell me we're doing dodgeball today."

"Dunno," he replied with a shrug, "but we might as well get it over with."

The school day kept with the norm. The jocks were being their usual selves, as were the cheerleaders and all the other groups that divided the lunchroom cafeteria. Abigail happily sat apart from the social labels as did Storm.

Storm was busy telling her and Kaze about the new gym teacher. "I'm tellin' you, this guy is no normal sub!"

"Let me guess, he gives you a motivational speech right? Probably just a newbie trying to earn some kinda extra cred," Kaze replied, taking another sip of his milk.

"Trust me, this guy is no newbie."

"What makes you so sure?" Abigail had let her mind wander, but that last comment caught her attention.

"He wanted to see us fight," Storm replied.

Kaze spit out his milk. "Dude, you serious?!"

"Shouldn't we tell someone?" Abigail asked.

"No, no not like that," Storm waved his hand. "He wanted to see our fighting skills, not punch each other."

It was clear to Storm that they still didn't get it. "You'll see what I mean."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

Abigail's mind kept wandering. Gazing out the window at the sparkling waves just beyond the town. What exactly did Storm mean about the new teacher? When was her mother going to ask about what she wanted for her birthday? What was in those mashed potatoes at lunch?

The teacher noticed that she wasn't paying attention and got up from her seat. Kaze tried to get her attention, but quickly returned to his work when the teacher passed him.

"Miss Abigail!" The teacher shouted while slapping her ruler down on the girl's desk.

"Y-yes Mrs. Hinsworth?" Abigail asked with a start.

"I'm relieved, for a moment I thought you had been spirited away. Do try to keep your eyes on your work, there will be a quiz at the end of the week."

With that the teacher walked back to her desk, picked up her book and continued where she had left off.

The rest of the class went by uneventful, though it was still hard for Abigail to focus. When the bell rang for the next class Kaze walked over to her desk.

"Hey, you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," she replied with a half-smile, "I've just got a lot on my mind is all."

"Well, come on, Gail. Time to see what Storm was talking about." He headed out the door with Abigail following a few steps behind.

When they got out to the field, Abigail started feeling better. She was never a big fan of school, but gym was by far the best part. Except for rainy days the class was always held outside. The fresh air, the warm sun, the gentle breeze. It was heaven on earth to her.

She looked around the field for the new teacher, but he wasn't there. spotting Kaze she walked up to him. "So, where is he?"

"Alright class, line up!" Came a voice from behind them. Both teens looked on in surprise. The man leaning against the wall stood up and walked over to the group. Kaze had seen him, but he thought he was just another student. Abigail on the other hand was beginning to understand what Storm meant.

The man had spiky brown hair that came to his shoulders. A black jacket with a fur collar and the most unique feature was a scar that ran down the middle of his face.

The man waited until he had the class's full attention before he began. "Good afternoon, My name is Leon. I prefer you address me that way. I don't care too be addressed by mister. It makes me feel old."

This earned a few snickers from some of the students. Leon glared at them and pulled out his weapon. "Don't let my easy-going nature fool you, I'm tough as nails and don't take kindly to slackers. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir!" The class replied.

"Good," Leon said with a smirk. "Now, who here is good at volleyball?"

Abigail raised her hand as did Kaze and four others. Leon nodded and held up a ball. "Alright, looks like it's three on three. Take your places, I don't care who you choose for teammates."

It didn't take long for them to decide. Two jocks, a dark-haired teen named Antony and his younger brother, a blonde named Jax took the rear of the field. They were both famous for spiking the ball with more force than needed. The third was a timid boy named Dartin. He really wasn't good at volleyball, but he wanted to try.

Abigail and Kaze were on the same team with another girl who was normally very snotty, but out here on the field she became focused. Abigail had played with her before and knew that she could put her attitude aside and worked well in a team.

Leon waited before the teams were ready before tossing the ball over to Jax. "Start."

The word had barely left Leon's mouth before Jax spiked the ball. Kaze hit the dirt to avoid getting slugged in the face.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" He asked standing back up.

"Oops, Sorry carrot-top. I thought your head was on fire," Jax replied smirking.

Kaze glared at him. Knowing the brothers since first grade, the red-head was used to their insults, but the color of his hair was something he couldn't help.

"May I see the ball?" Abigail asked.

Kaze happily handed it over as she made her way to serve. She tossed the ball high before cupping her hands together in a closed fist. She came up and struck the ball. It soared past her team and came flying at Antony. The jock hit the ball back and the game was on.

It was a pretty even game. The score was three to two with the jocks ahead by one. The girl, Anna, had hit the ball over to Kaze who struck it over the net. Dartin was closest.

"Head's up, Dartin!' Abigail shouted towards him.

The boy looked up and was getting ready to hit it back when Antony pushed him aside and struck the ball back to Jax.

"All your's bro!"

Jax spiked it. Abigail dove to hit it, but missed. The ball flew back up from the ground and flew past Abigail's face, just missing her ear as it flew across the field before bouncing to a halt.

"Alright, that's enough," Leon called, ending the game. The last thing he needed was an injury on his first day.

As class ended, signalling the end of the day Abigail walked over to Dartin before he left the field.

"Good game today."

He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Heh, thanks, but I didn't really do much. I'm sorry I made you miss that last shot."

"Don't worry about that," Abigail replied, "you were pretty good out there, considering who your teammates were."

"Those two are fulla hot air." Kaze added as he approached. "We better get moving before they make us stay after school."

"Yeah, that's the last thing we need, right Dartin?" Abigail said with a cheerful smile.

Leon was walking up to the doors after retrieving the ball when he noticed her. The hair was similar as was that smile. Leon had a hunch he had accomplished the first part of his mission.

"Now, on to phase two."


	3. Chapter 3

_**It certainly has been a while since I've updated. I apologize for that. Writer's block among many other things have slowed down my stories to a crawl. I know this story isn't the best, but it's something I'm writing for fun. While I haven't been giving these chapters titles I did consider the name of this one being dubbed as: "Like Parent, Like Child". Enjoy. **_

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belongs to Disney and Square Enix.**_

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**Chapter Three**

Abigail was taking her time walking home. She and Storm had been in such a hurry that morning, she really didn't get to enjoy the trip to school. Bright twinkles of sunlight reflected from the waves which threatened to blind her. She tried looking away when she noticed a backpack laying on the path. Looking at it more closely, she recognized that it was Storm's.

Looking around, she saw him sitting on the beach. His shoes were off and he was letting the waves wash over his feet. Abigail approached and sat down next to him.

They sat there in silence for a while. It was Storm who broke the silence.

"Shouldn't you be headed home? Your mom might need help setting things up for your party."

"Are you coming this weekend?" She asked.

"Naturally," he scoffed.

More silence followed.

Abigail turned and looked out at the ocean. "I'm glad. You know, it wouldn't-"

"Aww, look at the sweet little love birds. Wish I had a camera."

Storm and Abigail turned to see Antony and Jax standing on the path. They were holding Storm's backpack as well as her own.

"Hey! those are ours, drop 'em!" Abigail demanded.

Antony had gone through Storm's but threw it away into the bushes with disgust. "What a plain bag~ so tacky."

"Not this one, check it out! It's a love letter!" Jax replied as he pulled out a letter from Abigail's bag. "I wonder who it's from? That punk Kaze maybe?"

"Give that back!" Abigail shouted as she ran over to Jax ans tried to snatch the letter.

"No." Jax replied as he held it out of her reach.

"Please," she begged, "it's very special to me!"

Antony came from behind and shoved her into the dirt. "What a wuss!"

Storm stood up and glared at them. "Hey, why don't you get lost before you make me do something I'll regret later."

"What, crying home to your daddy?" Antony asked. Jax opened the letter and started reading it to himself. "This ain't no love letter. Check it out Tone,"

He picked a good spot and started to read. "I'm sorry I've been away so long, but I'll try to make it back by your birthday. I can't wait to give you my present, I promise it'll be worth it, love Daddy."

"Stop it!" Abigail shouted as she tried to take the letter back. Jax took it on both hands. "You want it back? Here!" He tore up the letter before throwing it at her face.

He didn't get a chance to laugh at his own cruelty. Before the first tear fell from Abigail's eyes Jax was on the ground with a broken nose. Storm was standing over him; his eyes were stone cold. "Your arms are next."

Antony tried to come at Storm from behind, but the silver-haired teen turned and punched him in the stomach before throwing sand in the boy's eyes.

They both ran off before Storm to do anything else. Without saying anything he picked up the pieces of the letter and knelt down to where Abigail was putting things into her backpack. She was crying.

"Here," he offered to help.

"Why that? They could have taken anything but that," she mumbled.

"But your Dad's coming home soon, isn't he? You can see him then."

"I never got to finish reading it. I didn't want to hear it from his mouth. Getting letters from my Dad is very special to me. He once told me a letter is a doorway. It leads to a person's true feelings and reveals the light in their heart."

Storm let out a sad sigh. "Come on, let's go." He helped her gather her things before walking her home.

When they got to the house Abigail's mother was at the front door to greet them. "Abigail?! What happened?"

"Some jocks from school decided to let off some steam," Storm replied, "on us."

"Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine, mom. They got the worst of it," Abigail replied as she tried to escape from her mother's suffocating hug.

"Oh?" She asked, looking over at Storm.

"Well, I couldn't just stand there and do nothing," he replied placing his hands in his pockets.

The auburn-hair woman gave Storm a knowing look."Come on inside you two, I'll get you something to eat."

Storm loved coming to Abigail's house. No matter what he was always welcomed and treated like family. It helped that her parents were best friends with his dad, but then again her parents got along well with anyone.

The rest of the evening went on uneventful. Abigail's mom made dinner as Abigail told them of their new coach and of the game they played. It wasn't long after that when Storm checked his watch and noticed how late it had gotten. He began to get a little panicked.

"Aw man, my dad's gonna kill me!"

Abigail's mom stopped him at the door with a plate wrapped in foil. "Just give him this and tell him it's from me, he won't be as harsh as you think."

"Thanks Aunt Kairi," he replied as he made his way out the door. "See you tomorrow, Gail!"

"Like father, like son." Kairi replied as she headed back into the dining room.

"Which one of you am I most like, mom?" Abigail asked.

Kairi pondered for a moment before answering. "Well, despite those spiky bangs and brown hair, it's obvious you get your looks from me,"

"Really? That's not what others have said," she replied, feeling a bit snarky.

"I wasn't finished. You have a knack for getting into trouble, something your father seemed to make a hobby of, then there's that optimistic point of view and the amazing ability to befriend almost anyone. I see a lot of that in you."

"You really see that?"

"Yes, I could tell by the way you described that volley ball game. I'm sure that boy, Dartin appreciated someone showing him kindness."

"Yeah, I feel sorta bad for him, his dad's always away and his mom works late, he doesn't really get to spend much time with them. He doesn't have any siblings and I don't think he really has a lot of friends. I always see him alone."

Kairi gathered their empty plates as she headed into the kitchen. "Well, it seems as if he's made a friend today."

"True, maybe I'll invite him to my party."

"Sounds like a plan, anyone else you'd like to invite?"

Abigail thought about this for a moment. She already knew the names she was inviting for sure. She held out her fingers as she counted.

"Storm, Kaze, Kim, Emma, Brandon, Ziki, Lanna, and Dartin would make eight."

_**. . .**_

The next day, Abigail was looking everywhere for Dartin. She wanted to ask him before classes started. One of the girls from her math class told her his locker was by over by the gym. She had finally reached the gym when she heard voices. One of them sounded like Dartin, the other sounded like the new teacher, and he wasn't happy.

"You mean you don't know how to use a weapon?"

"What?!" Abigail said out-loud to herself, why would Leon ask something like that? Weapons weren't allowed in school! She stood with her back against the wall as she listened in to the conversation coming from around the corner.

"Seriously kid, your dad should've taught you how to at least use a sword."

"Kinda hard when he isn't around much," Dartin replied in a sour tone.

"Now I know why I was assigned this job. There's more than one kid who needs to be trained."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, I still can't believe you're his son. I had no idea until I read your file."

"Why don't you start making sense!"

Abigail hadn't known Dartin that well, but he didn't seem like the type to get angry like that. She chanced a glimpse around the corner and saw that Dartin looked like he had been beaten.

Leon had his arms folded as he glared at the black-haired student. "You're staying after school. Your training starts first, we'll see if you inherited any of his skills, hopefully they're just buried deep under that wimpy exterior."

With that, Leon walked off leaving Dartin to pick up his two text books. Abigail thought about approaching, but decided to leave it be for now. She'd ask him during lunch.

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**_I'm still not happy with the first part of this chapter, but after three re-writes I didn't feel like changing it again. I iz lazy._**


	4. Chapter 4

_**I know, I know, two chapters in a single day? Well I was on a roll and didn't feel like stopping. I do like this chapter better than the last one. I hope my writing muse for my other stories returns soon.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belongs to Disney and Square Enix. Plot and all original characters belong to me. **_

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**Chapter Four**

What happened earlier that morning still bothered Gail. All through her first two periods she couldn't stop thinking about what Coach Leon had said to Dartin. Why was he being so hard on him and what did he mean by weapons and training? Trying to figure it out made her head hurt.

By the time lunch came around she was still lost in thought. Storm and Kaze exchanged looks, obviously concerned. It was Kaze who tried first.

"Helllooo~, is Gail home?" he asked waving his hand in front of her face.

"Huh?" she asked, blinking at them as if noticing them for the first time.

"You okay?" Storm asked. "You're not still upset about yesterday are you?"

"Yesterday? What happened?" Kaze asked.

"Just the jerk brothers being their usual selves," he replied, "though, they picked the wrong people to mess with last time." Storm glanced over at the two sitting across the lunchroom. Jax was wearing a white stripe of gauze covering his nose while Antony glared back at Storm.

Kaze followed Storm's gaze as it dawned on him. "Whoa, _**you**_ did that?" He whistled in surprise. "Man, remind me not to get on your bad side."

"Relax," replied Storm as he leaned back in his chair, "I wouldn't hit one of my pals, besides I've got a thing for red heads."

Kaze let out a sigh of relief. "Well that's good, I-hey What?!" Panic filled the green-eyed boy's face.

Storm caught what his friend had thought he meant and became equally as frantic. "I-I didn't mean it like that!"

Gail held her sides as she leaned forward, her laughter echoing throughout the lunchroom.

Kaze and Storm smiled back at her before catching her infectious laughter. When Gail could stop long enough to take a much-needed deep breath he explained. "Storm's got a crush on the girl from my English class. She's got red curly hair and is around the same age."

Kaze smirked, "Well that's a relief, and here I thought he had a thing for me all this time."

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm sure you'll find someone who can put up with that lame hair style," replied Storm.

"Oh give me a break, spikes are totally in!"

"Oh yeah? Point out one other person in this lunchroom who has spiky hair and I'll shut up."

"Okay, you asked for it!" Kaze looked around before pointing right at Abigail. "Bingo."

"Sorry, Kaze. This hair's natural. The spikes are an inherited gift from my dad," she replied with a sympathetic grin.

"Okay, well then,. . . a-hah! That guy over there." Kaze was pointing tot he kid who had just entered the lunchroom. Abigail noticed the black-spiky hair right away.

"Dartin."

"Ain't that the kid we played against yesterday?" asked Kaze, "Eh, it doesn't matter. I win, now pay up Storm and zip it!"

Storm pouted a bit before taking a sip of his milk.

As Dartin walked up to get in line the lunch lady had just put the last lid over what was left of the lunches. "Sorry, no seconds." Was all she replied, assuming he had already eaten. Dartin sighed before leaving his tray when Abigail approached.

"Hey, Dartin. You okay?"

"Y-yeah," he replied, "just not hungry." He glanced over at the table where Jax and Antony were sitting, noticing that they were giving him a look like a lion would glare at its prey. He quickly looked the other way.

Abigail wanted to cheer him up somehow. "Why don't you join me and my friends? There's room for four."

"Thanks, but I need to, uh, get in some practice." He tried to walk away quickly, but Abigail wouldn't hear of it.

"Nuh-uh. You're coming with me."

"D-hey wait!" His protests fell on deaf ears as she pulled him by the arm over to her table and plopped him down in the empty seat sitting across from Storm.

"Kaze, you remember Dartin right?" Abigail asked.

"S'up?" he replied.

"And this is my best friend, Storm."

The silver-haired teen nodded a greeting. "He can't talk right now, cuz' he lost a bet," Kaze added with a smirk. This earned a glare from Storm.

Dartin was feeling a bit nervous, he didn't want to draw a crowd and he could feel Jax and Antony staring at him from behind. He tried catching a glance from the corner of his eye, he dared not chance letting them know that he could sense their intense gaze.

"Dude, relax! Don't be so uptight."

Dartin looked over at Kaze who was smiling. "It's not healthy to frown so much."

"Yeah, a good laugh cures any bad mood," added Gail.

As the next fifteen minutes ticked by the gang got to know more about each other. They even managed to make Dartin laugh, of course, the whole table was busting a gut thanks to Kaze who had two plastic forks sticking out of his nose.

"Now how can I hold up my end of the bet when you keep making me laugh?" asked Storm.

"Hah!" Kaze took the forks from his nose as he gave his friend a mischievous grin. "I said shut up about my hair, not shut up for the rest of lunch. You need to get your ears checked."

This earned another pout from Storm and a giggle from Abigail.

Looking over at Dartin, she caught him glancing over his shoulder again. "Ignore them. They love intimidating people and only keep at it if they know it bugs you."

"Wish someone would have told me that earlier today," he replied.

Something in Gail's mind clicked. "Wait, are you saying those bruises are from them?"

Dartin tried to hide the one on his face, but there was only so much he could do. "It's nothing. I need to toughen up anyways."

"Toughen up? Dude, no one deserves a slug in the face, except for those two." Kaze's temper was building. He never liked the brothers, but ganging up on someone was beyond cowardly in his book.

"Please, it's no big deal. I shouldn't have told them to get out of my way. That's why I got hit."

"No, it's my fault."

Both boys looked over at Storm. "I taught them a pretty painful lesson yesterday and they took out their anger on someone else."

Kaze looked over at Gail who was lost in thought. Her mind was replaying the scene she saw earlier by the gym. It wasn't Coach Leon that had beaten Dartin, it was Jax and Antony! Leon probably broke up the fighting which was why he was getting onto Dartin's case. Oh, she was such an idiot for not realizing it sooner.

"Hey, you okay?" Dartin asked.

"Uh, yeah, um. . ." she looked over at him as a look of determination flashed in her eyes. "Would you like to come to my birthday party this weekend?"

Dartin blinked in surprise. "But, we just met. won't that be weird?"

This earned a laugh from Kaze and a smirk from storm. "Dude, look at us. We're not your normal posse."

"You're comparing us to a western now?" Storm asked flatly, rolling his eyes. "Last week you declared us a pirate crew.

"What-ever!" Kaze replied sticking out his tongue.

"Come on, it'll be fun. And you can rest assure, those two won't be invited," Gail replied jerking a thumb over to the brothers who had their backs turned for once.

"Pwease?" Gail fluttered her cutest kitten face. It was a bit childish, but her mother used it on her dad all the time and it worked. She hoped it would bring her the same results."

Dartin sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'll come, but you'll have to give me directions."

The bell rang to signal the end of lunch. Everyone stood up to head to their next class. "I'll give you the address during gym." Gail told him as she headed in the opposite direction of her friends.

Coach Leon had been sitting at the teacher's lunch table by himself looking over some student files. during lunch he had watched a certain cheerful table while reading. He couldn't help but wear a knowing smile. "Talk about Déjà vu."

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**_Dartin is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters to write for, heck I may make him an official KH OC. By that I mean include him in more stories than just this one. Then again, he doesn't even have to be limited to KH, considering who his parents are. And NO, I'm not tellin' who they are, yet. You'll just have to guess for yourselves. Makes it more fun that way. ;3_**


End file.
